D'Artagnan's Daughter (1994)

Bertrand Taverneir moves as fluidly between 'costume' pictures and modern-day dramas as Graham Greene moved between novels and 'entertainments' and here he gives us a delightful soufflé' with perhaps five believable words in the whole two hours. It borrows lavishly if only in spirit, from the Hollywood that gave us The Prisoner Of Zenda type movies where the personnel lace every sword-fight with one-liners. For what it's worth the plot has Sophie Marceau - raised in a convent lo these many years - witnessing the brutal murder of the Mother Superior and vowing revenge which will naturally involve finding her father, D'Artagnan, now an ex-musketeer, and teaming up with the original three (Athos, Porthos, Aramis) and overthrowing a plot to assassinate the new King. Although Tavernier wisely portrays Eloise as something less than an accomplished fencer he cancels this out to some extent by having her leap onto a horse as if she'd been riding all her life when she has, of course, been raised in a convent. No matter, there's swordplay, wordplay, a hissable villain in the shape of Claude Rich - looking uncannily like a smiling George C. Scott - Philippe Noiret as D'Artagnan and Sophie Marceau as his daughter. What's not to like.

My enjoyment of the early scenes in this movie was ruined by the fact that I was expecting an action flick. Once I figured out that this is a comedy, and that the fights were intentionally clumsy, I liked it a lot more. I imagine that with a comprehensive knowledge of French history it would have been a lot funnier. But there are many joking references to Dumas' original story about the Musketeers, and the physical humor transcends culture, as does the archetype of the romantic poet who's hopeless in a fight. Every character in the movie is in some way incompetent, which provides the bulk of the humor. The Musketeers suffer from large egos and denial about the limits of their old age. Several characters suffer from paranoia, and some from delusions of grandeur. I imagine a French historian would love the portrayal of Louis XIV as a chubby self-indulgent teenager who can't make decisions for himself. The humor and the plot are both driven by these characters who get better and better as the movie goes on.This movie isn't perfect, however. My biggest issue with the film is that I can't figure out how D'Artagnan could have aged so much faster than his fellow musketeers. Athos and Porthos seem to be in their mid-fifties, whereas D'Artagnan can't be less than seventy. The subtitles are a little silly, especially the exclamations, and I wonder if it was intentional. "Merde" is translated as "turds," and phrases like "'Od's bodkins!" and "Zounds!" run rampant.Still, the movie was thoroughly enjoyable, Sophie Marceau is captivating as well as funny, and this film made for a fun evening. Just remember: it's a historical farce, not an action flick.

The spirit of Dumas is alive and well as D'Artagnan and his three legendary companions regroup and once again go forth in defense of the Crown in `Revenge of the Musketeers,' directed by Bertrand Tavernier. This time around, however, it's D'Artagnan's daughter, Eloise (Sophie Marceau), who sounds the alarm after witnessing a cold-blooded murder at the convent she has called home these many years, having been raised there while her father was off on one adventure after another in service to the King. And it's the King for whom Eloise is concerned; in the wake of the murder, she has uncovered a conspiracy to assassinate the about-to-be-crowned Louis XIV during his coronation. Her evidence is a cryptic message discovered among the personal effects of the recently deceased resident of the convent. So throwing caution to the wind, Eloise takes to horseback, alone, to seek out her father and inform him of this threat to France and the King. What she doesn't know is that D'Artagnan (Philippe Noiret) has recently withdrawn from the service of the King, and not by his own choosing. It seems that the King-to-be is something of an upstart, the fact of which D'Artagnan conveyed to him personally-- in no uncertain terms-- after which the now former Musketeer retired to private life to give lessons in the art of swordsmanship. All of which is about to change with the arrival of the daughter he hasn't seen for many years, and who to his knowledge is still safely ensconced in the convent. To successfully present yet another episode of `The Three Musketeers,' it must have that certain sense of bold carelessness born of confidence and larger-than-life adventure, and Tavernier's film has it. Though it takes a couple of scenes to find it's legs after an intense opening that makes you sit up and take notice, when it finally kicks in (which it does fairly quickly) it becomes a rousing adventure steeped in the tradition of it's predecessors. And, as in the best of the `Musketeer' movies, it's laced with subtle humor and intrigue. Tavernier sets a pace that is at times inconsistent, but he provides enough action and fun that it can be easily overlooked; it may threaten to stall occasionally, but never actually does. Philippe Noiret cuts a striking figure as the aging D'Artagnan, who though slowed somewhat by the years, is still one of the best swords around. He successfully embodies that spirit and sense of `legend' that makes his D'Artagnan believable, and delivers it all with the confidence befitting his character. The highlight of the film, however, is the lovely Marceau, who as Eloise proves that she can cross swords with the best of them. Her technique with a blade may be a bit awkward at times, but it gives credibility to the character; a young woman raised in a convent-- even the daughter of a famed Musketeer-- wouldn't necessarily be a master swordsman. And Marceau gives a lively performance as Eloise, diving into the action with a reckless abandon that makes her endearing, as well as fun to watch. She has a radiant screen presence that draws the eye to her, even in a crowded scene. But what really puts this character across-- and again, the entire film, for that matter-- is that unabashed spirit of adventure, which Marceau manifests in Eloise. The supporting cast includes Claude Rich (Crassac), Sami Frey (Aramis), Jean-Luc Bideau (Athos), Raoul Billerey (Porthos), Charlotte Kady (Eglantine de Rochefort), Nils Tavernier (Quentin), Luigi Proietti (Mazarin) and Jean-Paul Roussillon (Planchet). Proving that even Musketeers beyond their prime can be engaging, especially when combined with a spirited beauty like Marceau, `Revenge of the Musketeers' is a welcome cinematic chapter in the saga Dumas began so many years ago. In the end, it's a satisfying experience that will transport you to another place and another time, when chivalry was alive and well, and right always triumphed over wrong. I rate this one 7/10.

You know you're watching a commerical compromise when shots of Marceau's super-healthy (and fully tanned, mind you) breasts make two different appearances to satisfy those who fork out their ticket money for such things alone. I'm not complaining but it's obvious that with international sex kitten Marceau on hand for the lead role in an established 'franchise' like "The 3 Musketeers" Tavernier decided to just have silly fun here, and that's too bad because this film is clever and could've been great with a little more effort. Of course, if Tavernier had gone all out and made the true oddball masterpiece he's proven himself capable of with films as diverse as "Capitaine Conan", "L.627" and "The Clockmaker," Miramax/Disney would've probably never picked the film up for video distribution and renamed it "Revenge of the Musketeers" (D'Artagnan's Daughter sounds a little too sissified for the swashbucker demographic don't you think?). Marceau is good in the lead role and spectacular in the swordfighting scenes but it's obvious she wasn't asked to push herself too hard to act authentic beyond the athleticism required to shoot the action scenes. Philip Noiret is his always fabulous self and without him the film would've been a total bore; his brilliant portrayal of the old but far from over the hill D'Artagnan picks the film up whenever the audience gets tired of staring at Marceau, but it's not enough to keep it from dragging on. Overall, it looks like Tavernier was trying for something in the vicinity of Philip De Broca's classic 1960s adventure films "Cartouche" and "That Man from Rio" but except for a few scenes here and there, comes up short of their comic book poetry.